


something old, something new

by ndnickerson



Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Apologies, Couch Sex, F/M, Makeup Sex, Making Love, Making Out, Making Up, Married Couple, Married Sex, newlyweds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-28
Updated: 2013-07-28
Packaged: 2017-12-21 14:12:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/901211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For killingstreak's birthday: Nancy and Ned are newlyweds, and they've just had their first fight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	something old, something new

The rain started late morning, and when it began it took a few seconds for Nancy to even hear the hush. The sky had been grey and overcast all day, though, matching Nancy's mood, and she wasn't surprised to see it.

"Okay? Need to go roll your windows up?"

Nancy adjusted her wire-rimmed glasses and shook her head. The lenses were plain glass but they added to her disguise, along with her dyed-brown hair. As she gave Charlie a brief smile, her thumb brushed the naked base of her left ring finger. "Nothing. It's fine."

The forensic accounting was going slowly. But Nancy's attention kept wandering.

She had walked out on her husband the night before. Actually walked out on him.

It wasn't that she and Ned had never fought, because they had. But they hadn't fought since their marriage three weeks earlier, and Nancy had been shocked at how quickly it had escalated. She had told Ned it would be easier if her cover was as an unmarried woman, and he had agreed; when she had come home with her rings hanging from a necklace instead of on her finger, he had bristled, and she had seen it. And then he had made reservations for dinner soon after her case had begun, but Nancy had been pushed down a flight of stairs at the office. She had regained consciousness to the sensation of her phone vibrating in her pocket as Ned called her, irritated that they had missed their dinner date.

Luckily most of the bruises were covered by her black slacks and long-sleeved shirt, but the large bruise on her cheek had been covered by makeup. She'd had to bend her wire-rims back into shape, too. And her ankle still hurt.

It hurt worse, though, that she had stormed out and gone to Bess's apartment—and Ned hadn't followed her there. She had said a lot of things she hadn't meant at all before she left, the night before. They had slept apart, for the first time in their married life. And Nancy had felt so angry that she had thought she would never forgive him—but slowly, so slowly, the anger had begun to fade. She just felt tired and sad, now.

She never slept so well as she did in her new husband's arms. She had always slept well in Ned's arms.

_You take off your rings and I see them all again, every one of them. Sasha, Mick, Manny. All of them. How do you not see that?_

_You_ agreed!

_I know. And I was wrong._

Whenever she thought back on it, the same conclusion came to her. _I was wrong, too. This was never going to work. Never._

What hurt more was how happy she had been. She had been so foolish. She had thought nothing would touch them, that the arguments and fights were behind them, that the jealousy and protectiveness would pass once they were married. Now, though... She didn't want to believe it, but she thought it would only get worse.

The case was minor, honestly. What would happen on the larger cases, when she wasn't in Chicago...

Nancy sniffled and Charlie glanced over at her again. "I'm sorry. About ready for a break?"

"Sure," Nancy said with a nod.

The iced coffee didn't help, at lunch. She tossed half her salad in the trash, uneaten. Bess texted her after lunch and asked how she was holding up, and Nancy replied that she would live.

She felt bad when Ned didn't text her, that he hadn't even attempted to contact her since she had walked out on him. She felt worse when she checked her phone and saw a message from him there.

_You must still be mad. I'm sorry, baby._

Nancy didn't answer.

Late that afternoon, she and Charlie discovered a promising lead, although Charlie didn't recognize it as such. Nancy noticed a third check for the same amount earmarked for a charity, and when Charlie began to pack up at precisely four-fifty-nine, Nancy told him to go ahead; she would shut down the computer and lock up for the night.

She scribbled down a few notes as the office wound down for the night; the rain was still pelting down the plate-glass windows, but the hum of activity and computers faded. Nancy realized she would have to wait until the next morning to check the account numbers and attempt to trace the money anyway, and she took some screen captures, emailing them to herself as a backup in case she was mugged or attacked again.

Her face felt sore from the massive bruise, and she was very careful to check around herself as she locked the accounting office and headed out for the night. Attacks on her life had always made her feel more determined to track down the culprit, but Bess would cluck worriedly over her if she came in injured again.

God. Oh, how she wished they hadn't had that fight. She wished she could just go back and take it all back.

Nancy was sniffling again when she stepped into the lobby and nodded at the after-hours security guard. She was parked in a lot halfway down the block, and she kept her hand on her cell phone in case she needed to call emergency services quickly.

She hadn't realized how relaxed she truly was until she saw the figure standing beside her car, and suddenly her heart was in her throat. The rain was coming down in sheets, and the figure was holding something, and she glanced around, hoping someone would be passing by at the same time, hoping for anything.

"Nancy."

He wore a drenched overcoat, no umbrella shading him from the rain; his face was dripping, his hair darkened by it. A drooping waterlogged bouquet was in his hand.

Ned had been waiting for her.

For a second she wavered, studying him, the rain lashing against her slacks, dripping into her heels.

"Baby, I'm so sorry."

Then he took a step toward her and his brown eyes were so sad, and Nancy's lip quivered for a moment before she walked into his open arms.

"I'm sorry too," she whispered against his wet neck.

\--

From the second their apartment door closed behind them, his lips were pressed against hers. He scrabbled at the buttons at her throat, tugged her shirt up out of her slacks, and she gasped against his kiss. She stepped out of her heels and his shoes squelched on the hardwood in the hallway.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered against her throat, and she gasped again when he boosted her up, her legs open and the join of her thighs against his hips. "God, Nan..."

Every time his lips strayed from hers she ran her hands through his wet hair and tipped his head back up, kissing him again. It wasn't until they sat down on the arm of the couch, his shirt unbuttoned and hers on the wet floor, his overcoat a crumpled heap three feet into the puddled hallway and one bra strap slid down her pale shoulder, that they paused long enough to actually look at each other, and he realized that while his face was wet from rain, the twin tracks down her cheeks were tears.

He found them clinging to the points of her jaw and kissed them away, unfastening her bra and pulling it down, kissing her lips again. Now his tongue tasted faintly of salt, and she tilted her head, pushing his shirt open.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled against his lips. "I missed you..."

He thought about carrying her to bed, but by then she had unfastened his pants and was rubbing the heel of her hand against his erection, and they fell backwards together onto the couch, twisting and shuddering, his teeth grazing her earlobe, his hips jerking when she ran her fingertips lightly over his balls, through his underwear.

"I need you..."

"I need you too."

She trembled when he ran the tip of his thumb against her hardened nipple. She kissed him again and he fondled her until she was grinding against him through their underwear. She blushed when she was embarrassed or aroused, and he could see the strawberry flush creeping up her neck, blooming in her cheeks.

"Oh God, Nancy..."

He pressed her into the couch, her legs open and wrapped around his waist, and her fist tightened in his hair as he ground against her. She whimpered, arching under him, this beautiful fragile girl. He had never felt more afraid than the night before, watching her walk out that door, wondering if she would ever return—and his damn pride and his anger telling him to let her go, that she would come back and be sorry she had ever left.

But he couldn't wait that long, not where she was concerned. No matter how frustrated and upset he sometimes was with her, a part of him knew he would always be the one who came back.

Because oh, how he needed her. He needed her like breathing.

He started working on pulling her pants down and she reluctantly untangled herself, the well-washed cotton of her panties soft and warm under his fingertips, warm as her skin. When he accidentally brushed a bruise she winced and he sighed in apology, but he stripped her naked and her blue eyes were wide and wet, wet-lashed and almost scared.

"Are you cold?"

She shook her head, watching him push his underwear down too. "No," she whispered, and when she sat up her rings rolled down to hang just above her breasts. She felt the movement and glanced down, and her blush deepened as she reached behind her neck and unfastened the necklace, slipping her rings back on.

Then she stood, balancing on her tiptoes as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he felt the warmth of her skin against his erection as she pressed herself against him, his hands spanning her narrow waist. Their kiss was light, soft, then harder.

He sank to his knees on the couch and she wrapped her legs around him, and the soft sounds he heard were her whimpers as she returned his kiss, hard. When she arched to press her sex against his, he groaned, grasping her ass.

He was cold, but he only felt it distantly, and the warmth of her fingertips, her skin against his, the slick heat between her legs... Ned bore her down and she rocked under him, and then she gasped, shifting onto her right side. "Sorry," she whispered, and kissed him again. "Bruise..."

Ned flushed, caressing her hip, and her tongue was slipping against his when he reached down and rubbed against her clit. "Oh," she whimpered, and she kissed his neck as he fondled her. "Oh, oh yes..."

"I love you," he growled against her ear.

She shuddered in response. "I love you too," she whispered, and the hard tips of her nipples brushed against his chest as her hips bucked.

"I shouldn't have let you go."

She cried out softly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Love me, _please_..."

"Always," Ned whispered. "Always, baby. I have always loved you."

She lifted her head and he kissed her again as he moved to slip between her legs, and he felt her tilt her hips to give him a better angle. He fitted the head of his cock just inside the hollow of her sex and he felt her lashes flutter, felt her still her hips as he moved inside her.

"Yes," he whispered. "Oh, _God_ , yes..."

Her cheeks were flushed even more deeply as he kept fondling her clit, and she trembled as he penetrated her. She was tight around him, and he felt her tense as he worked in the slick press of her sex, but she cried out in pleasure, her nails digging into his back as he thrust his full length between her thighs.

"Oh, my beautiful girl... you're everything to me."

"Yes," she whimpered. "Oh, oh my _God_... don't stop, don't stop oh _God_ I love you so much..."

He kissed her again and her hips rose and fell with his thrusts, and she whimpered against his kiss as he made love to her. They made it last, breaking each kiss just to start another, and she stroked his shoulders, ran her nails down his spine, dragged her fingers through his damp hair until he knew it had to be a mess, but he didn't care; he loved the way her nails felt against his scalp, the way her hips shivered. He kept stroking her clit and she writhed against him.

Then she bucked harder, breaking the kiss to cry out. "Yeah, beautiful..."

"Oh my _God_ ," Nancy cried out. " _Ohhhhh_..."

He nipped at her neck and she arched hard, panting, and she was gloriously slick around him, bringing her knees back. She moaned and he kissed her again, pinning her under him with a rough thrust.

"Good?" Ned panted, but she didn't have to answer; the way she moved under him was answer enough. She kissed him desperately and he moved in her more rapidly, fondling her clit again.

She came with a desperate breathless cry and Ned followed, groaning as he spent himself deep inside her. Her brows were drawn together, her lips parted as she tried to catch her breath, and when he collapsed to her she took him in her arms again, releasing a soft groan.

Neither of them spoke for a long time, in anything other than whimpers and sighs. He shifted to make sure she wasn't supporting all of his weight on her bruised body, and then he dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder, breathing in the scent of her perfume and sweat and skin.

"I'll be glad when you're a redhead again," he murmured. Then he thought better of it, pulling back to gaze into her eyes, an apology on his lips.

Her blue eyes were thoughtful. "Me too," she whispered. "Sometimes I look in the mirror and don't recognize who I am."

He brushed the tip of his nose against hers, then kissed her very gently, once, twice. "Baby, I'm so sorry," he whispered.

She sighed, cupping his cheek, and Ned turned his head to kiss the rings that were wrapped around her finger again. He kissed her palm, the blue web of veins just beneath her pale inner wrist.

"Ned," she whispered, moving to hook her finger under his chin, and he faced her again. "Baby..."

"I didn't mean it," he murmured. "Last night..."

She gave him a sad smile. "You did," she whispered. "I know you did."

With a slow sigh Ned moved off her, wrapping his arms around her waist to draw her up with him. He sat down on the couch and pulled her to him, and she slipped her arms around his shoulders, her gaze serious.

"I need you to understand," she whispered, and drew the backs of her fingers down the angle of his jaw. "I'm with you. Whether these rings are on or not, whether my hair is strawberry blonde, whether my eyes are blue... I'm _with you_. And I hate with all my heart that I didn't make that dinner with you, but if I come home and you're that angry again..." She glanced down. "I won't want to come home."

A chill ran down Ned's spine. He had wanted to head off the entire discussion, but now he couldn't help it. "It was all of it," he said softly. "Seeing you hurt, without your rings, the dinner... I wanted to have some time with you. I wanted to do something special with you. We haven't even been married a month yet..."

"And that's why this scares me," she whispered. "We haven't even been married a month yet, and last night..."

"It exploded," he murmured.

Nancy nodded slowly, and Ned reached up, running his fingers through her brown hair. She looked up at him again, searching his eyes.

"I thought I'd be a bigger priority in your life, now..."

"And _you_ are." Her eyebrows drew together again. " _You_. You're the man beside me when I wake up in the morning and when I go to bed at night. You're the guy I call when I'm in trouble or when I need a shoulder to hold onto. But dinner on a weeknight when I'm on a case..." She sighed. "Ned, it was gonna be hard for me to do that anyway, and then you reacted like I had, I don't know, been fucking Charlie on the desk beside the computer."

Ned paused for a second, and Nancy gave a brief humorless chuckle. "Focus, Ned."

"Just thought that with a small but significant change, that scenario could be kinda hot," he murmured, then touched her cheek again. "Nan, I'm sorry."

"And I'm sorry I left," she whispered. "I..."

"I should have come after you..."

"I hated sleeping without you."

"And I hated it too." He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her cheek. "I was so angry... and then I woke up in the middle of the night and I felt like such an asshole."

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Can we not do that again?" she murmured.

"Yeah," he murmured. "I don't want to fight like that again... but I really don't want to sleep apart, either." He kissed her temple. "So I'm going to try not to fly off the handle like that... but can I ask for something in return?"

He felt her smile against his skin. "Can it be in bed? I'm getting kinda chilly..."

"Sure," he murmured. "I'd love to. But what I meant is... can we agree that when you're not on a case, we can go out? At least twice a month? I just... I need some time with you, baby. My new wife."

She gave him a slow smile, the kind that he found unbelievably sexy. "My husband," she whispered, and leaned forward to give him a soft, brief kiss. "Yeah. I think I can do that."

He threaded his fingers through her hair and returned her kiss, his lips firm against hers. "Great," he murmured.

"I love you—so much—" She whispered it between each kiss. "And I—couldn't bear it—to lose you—like this."

Ned shook his head. "What did you say, no matter what color your hair was, your eyes? Nan, no matter what, I promise you—I love you. And I _never_ want you to be afraid to walk through that door."

She gave him another slow, sweet kiss. "Then take me to bed," she murmured. "Wrap me up tight in your arms and kiss me until I'm warm again, and never let me go."

He stood still holding her and she sighed when he lowered her to her feet. She stood on her tiptoes to give him another sweet kiss before she turned away from him, gathering the poor, bedraggled bouquet he had tossed heedlessly on the coffee table. "Can you get the clothes, baby?"

Ned nodded, watching her, bemused. She took the bouquet to the kitchen, and when she returned their damp clothes were in his arms and the flowers were in a large vase. She placed the vase on the coffee table and stood back with a smile.

"Sorry," he murmured. He wasn't sure if they would survive the deluge. "I was hoping that even if seeing me didn't make you happy, those would."

Nancy glanced from the flowers to her husband. "You did look really pitiful," she told him, and walked, unselfconsciously naked, to their bedroom. When she reached the doorway she turned and crooked her finger, her lashes low, and Ned felt his dick twinge in response. He very nearly just dropped the clothes right there.

"Coming, handsome?"

He gave her a slow meaningful smile, and watched her melt in return. "You bet, beautiful."


End file.
